


Project Darkling : The Recall

by angelholme



Series: Project Darkling [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Science Fiction, post history
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 15:15:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5296271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelholme/pseuds/angelholme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My name is Luna Lovegood. Three years ago, I was recruited by Bellatrix Black to work for Project Darkling, the codename for the plans that were the last, and indeed only hope for the future of wizard kind.</p><p>When Project Darkling was initially conceived, it was a research project to break down the barriers between parallel universes, and to travel to them. However in its first test, one of the lead scientists (my mother, Elana Lovegood) died, and the project was scrapped.</p><p>But years later, when Voldemort returned, Darkling was resurrected, and Bellatrix and I used it to send nine groups of two into the parallel universes.</p><p>And now, three years later, it is time to bring them back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Telling The Others

**Author's Note:**

> Dislcaimers
> 
> I am not sure why disclaimers are necessary, because anyone who is reading this story must know I am not, in fact, JK Rowling, and that I don't own any of this, and that I am doing this for fun and frolics, rather than profit and... some other word starting with P.
> 
> Notes :-
> 
> This story follows on from Project Darkling, so if you haven't read that, you probably should, because otherwise you may spend quite a lot of time going "huh?"

"My name is Luna Lovegood. Three years ago, I was recruited by Bellatrix Black to work for Project Darkling, the codename for the plans that were the last, and indeed only hope for the future of wizard kind.

Lord Voldemort was mere months away from taking the United Kingdom as his own, and nothing the resistance could have done would have stopped him. So Project Darkling was set up to send them away - to get them out of Britain, so they could train, make allies and then, when the time was right, return in full force to bring down the Dark Lord.

Eight of us stayed behind to hold the fort, against Voldemort and against Fudge and his Angels. But of the eight, only Miss Black and I knew the truth about Darkling - that we had not just sent the eighteen travellers out of the country, but out of the universe as well.

When Project Darkling was initially conceived, it was a research project to break down the barriers between parallel universes, and to travel to them. However in its first test, one of the lead scientists (my mother, Elana Lovegood) died, and the project was scrapped.

But years later, when Voldemort returned, Darkling was resurrected, and Bellatrix and I used it to send nine groups of two into the parallel universes.

And now, three years later, it is time to bring them back.

If we can"

xoxox

"Luna?" Luna turned at Bellatrix's voice "It's time to reverse the spell"

"They won't be happy"

"I know, but if we are about to pull eighteen people out of thin air, I think that the others should at least have some warning about it"

"Very well" They walked in to the main conference room, and faced the remaining members of the resistance. All three of them.

"Tonks, Colin, Katie - there is something we need to tell you" Bella said "Please sit down"

Luna moved to the back of the room, happy to let Bella take the lead on this. 'After all' she thought 'This is her command'.

"In just under ten minutes, we will be recalling the members of the resistance we sent away" Bella said "But, before we do, there is something we need to explain" She nodded to Luna, who stood up, and raised her wand "For the security of this project, we cast a memory spell on you after we sent them away. I realise it is small comfort, but we had your permission when we did it, even if you don't remember giving it to us"

"We understand" Colin replied. In the eighteen months since Moody had been captured, he had become the unofficial leader of the rest of the resistance "So - are you going to tell us what we don't know, or just reverse the spell?"

"The latter" Bella smiled "We felt that however we explained it, it wouldn't be as good as knowing what you already know"

"Won't we be a danger?" Tonks asked "I mean - if you stripped us of this memory back then, you must have had a good reason"

"We did, but once we recall the others, we are going to make sure no one can ever send them away again, so whatever you know will be worthless - at least from a strategic point of view"

"Oh" Tonks shrugged "Okay" Bella turned to Luna.

"FINITE OBLIVIATUM!"

For a moment nothing happened, then Colin's eyes widened.

"Another universe?"

"Yes" There was another few moments of silence, then Katie looked up.

"Did it work?"

"Yes. All eighteen got to where they were going" Bella glanced over at Luna "And we are more or less confident that we can get them back"

"But?" Tonks stared at the two witches "There is something you are not telling us"

"Some of the universes were not what we expected, and some have grown worse in the intervening years. When we bring the others back, they might not be the same people you remember" Luna sighed "You should be prepared for a shock or two" She looked up at Bella "It's time"

xoxox

"Enkarta deceiptia verasum, monkela theare tuvanum. Video tuscan excatum traixa telaha"

"Envala twixea thorongad taxia"  
"Topala miovn xchala zkla"

"Twikini vincea tlea thsa putah"  
"Laha nahma elaka nahma arasta vixena"

"Omnes vervant liberante, spula deus noches. Alonsa kaeia chxleta qxtlwsx"

Luna stared at the portal, then took a deep breath.

"Universum ascartum retouram" She said, then walked through the portal.


	2. Harry and Hermione

_"Universum ascartum retouram" Luna said, then walked through the portal._

She found herself in complete darkness. She stared around, hoping her eyes would adjust, but when it became apparent that it wasn't going to get any better, she pulled out her wand.

"Lumos" She whispered, and then, after the end of her wand lit up, she looked around again.

She was in a forest, and, from the lack of leaves on the trees, it appeared that it was, if not winter, then very late in the year. She looked around, then smiled as she saw someone walking towards her.

"Hello Luna" She said.

"Hello Luna" The figure replied "It is nice to see you at last"

xoxox

"So - where are we meeting them?" The two Luna's were walking through The Forbidden Forest, heading towards the castle. To avoid any confusion, the Luna who had just arrived had decided to call herself Sam.

"Hogsmeade" Luna replied.

"Not the school?" Sam asked in response.

"No" Luna's tone darkened "We are meeting in The Shack"

"Okay" Sam smiled "So - you know how the link works?"

"Pretty much" Luna smiled "Even though my mother is still alive, I have seen a few things of the various... universes, and I understand why you are here"

"So - can you tell me why we are meeting at The Shack?"

"Because my Hermione has been on the run for eight years, and your Harry and Hermione have been on the run since they arrived. If they went to the school they would be executed on sight by the Headmaster"

"And I am guessing we are probably on the kill on sight list as well?"

"You can be sure of that" Luna smiled at her "But they won't notice us unless we walk up and knock on the door - being part of the resistance has taught us a lot more magic than we would have learned in school" She shrugged "Mother always tells me that there is good in every situation, but this truly takes the cake"

xoxox

"Guys? Are you here?" Luna called out as they approached The Shrieking Shack.

"Yeah - we are inside" A voice came back, causing Sam to smile.

"Can you open a hole? We are coming in"

"We?" Another voice called out. There was a pause, then the voice yelled out again "I'd nearly forgotten" There was another pause "The wards are open"

"Thank you" Luna lead Sam in to the front of The Shack, and lead them inside. Sam looked around, then smiled as she saw Harry and Hermione waiting for her. Then she gave another smile as a second Hermione came in to the room.

"Luna" Harry jumped to his feet and ran across and hugged her "I had really nearly forgotten you would be coming" Hermione followed a moment later.

"I can imagine" Sam smiled "And call me Sam, for the moment" She glanced across at the other Luna "It will avoid confusion"

"Okay... Sam" Hermione smiled "So - you came back for us? Does this mean it is time to end the war?"

"Yes" Sam beamed "Sort of"

"Sort of?"

"Sort of" She smirked "I am going to travel to each of the nine over the next two days, but I will be back for all of you one week from now, at which point we will take our country back"

"Excellent"

"So - what can you tell me?"

"A week?" Hermione asked. Sam nodded, so Hermione turned to Luna "Lu?"

"We could get five of The Weasleys, three of the Wolf-Pack and maybe half-a-dozen more" Luna replied "I suppose we would have to tell them?"

"Yes" Sam replied "We are taking them through to another universe, and, if you two" She gestured to Luna and Hermione "Are anything to go by, then they might get a bit of a surprise"

"What are we going to say if they ask about this universe?" Harry asked.

"We don't know" Luna and Sam said together, then Luna continued "I would like to think we could solve the problems of this universe" She glanced at Harry "But I say we deal with one thing at a time" She turned to Sam "I take it you are going to leave it up to me?"

"Pretty much" Sam replied "It's your universe, and while Bella and I can make suggestions and give advice, eventually it will be down to you"

"That figures" Luna smiled "Okay. We will get our group together, and meet back here a week from now. Should we prepare anything?"

"What do you have?"

"Wands. Battle armour. A few spells that are not generally taught in our version of Hogwarts" Harry smiled "How are the others?"

"Well - you are the first group I have come to" Sam said "So, so far, everyone is fine" She smiled.

"And the group we left behind?"

"We are all pretty much okay" Sam sighed "The last three years have been hard, but probably not as hard as it has here" She looked at her watch "Sorry to cut this short, but I have to return. Bella will be expecting me, and if I am late then she will panic"

"You know how that sounds?" Harry smirked.

"Yes, but we are just friends" Sam beamed "And no - I haven't met anyone else. The last three years haven't been exactly conducive to dating" She stood up "I really have to go"

"Okay. One week"

"One week"

xoxox

Five minutes later, she was back, facing Bella and the others.

"Harry and Hermione are fine" Luna smiled "They will be ready in a week, and can bring around fifteen or so - Weasleys and some were-wolves and a few others" She looked at her watch "Do we have time for another trip today, or should we postpone?"

"You can do another one" Bella smiled "Any one in particular?"

"Actually - yes" Luna smiled "I know exactly where I want to go"


	3. Ginny And Draco

"Someone once defined relativity as the following :-

When you put your hand on a hot oven-top, a second can feel like an eternity.  
When you have the woman you love in your arms, an eternity can feel like a second.

Which, hopefully, will explain why I am so eager to go to the third of the universes, especially after what I said to her at our last meeting.

There was a time when I could never see myself forgiving her for her utter stupidity and carelessness, but - it turns out - "never" isn't as long as it used to be, because, more than anything, I want to see her, and tell her that I am sorry for what I said.

Quite why this is the case would be hard to explain, but it goes back to oven's and girlfriends, and the speed at which time passes depending on what you are doing.

For most of the three years before we sent the travellers off to parts unknown, I was very busy. There was the seven month stint in Azkaban - that wasn't so much busy as truly horrific - but after that it was pretty much non-stop fighting, planning, attacking and so forth. And so I didn't have a lot of time to sit and think (again, Azkaban notwithstanding) about things, including young Miss Weasley. Add to that the fact that, because of the breakneck pace we were working at, I had no time to grieve for Hannah - it always felt like "just yesterday" that I had lost her, and that I had been sent to hell.

But the last three years have passed at an almost terminally slow pace, and I have had far, far more time to think about the past. And time to grieve, and reflect on my loss, on my time in prison and the causes behind it.

I love Hannah, and I always will. She was my... my noon and my midnight, my talk and my song. And even if, when we are done with this war, I find another person to share my life with, I will still always love her.

But she would not want me to continue a vendetta against someone who is on our side.

Ginny Weasley, for all her faults, spent the three years before she left fighting tooth and nail to defeat Voldemort. It cost her friends and most of her family, but even then she didn't stop. And she was willing to jump in to the unknown to save us, knowing that it might not work, that she might die, friendless and alone in the wood between the worlds.

I believe I misjudged her motives greatly, and misjudged her even more. She is not the same girl she was at school. Three years ago she tried to show me, and I missed it completely.

This time - this time I won't"

xoxox

"Universum certexum retouram"

xoxox

"Hello Sam" Luna beamed at the new arrival as she walked out of the portal. The newcomer giggled, then smiled.

"The link is getting stronger then?" She asked.

"Yes - I think it is because you are breaking the barriers down again. It hasn't been this strong since the last invocation"

"Excellent" Sam rubbed her hands together "That should make the other seven recalls a little easier" Luna was staring at her "If they know I am coming, then they will be able to better prepare the travellers"

"I can take you to them, but..."

"But what?"

"Well - you might have a problem convincing them to come back" Luna stared at Sam intently "Maybe I should explain..."

xoxox

"...and that's why the fish learned to sing"

"Sweet" Sam smiled "But that doesn't explain why Ginny and Draco aren't coming home with me"

"No. I guess it doesn't" Luna pointed up the road, to the edge of Hogsmeade "You'll see when we get there"

There was a few minutes' silence as the walked up the road, then Sam came to shocked halt as she stared in to the wizarding village.

"See what I mean?"

xoxox

A few moments later, Sam and Luna had walked down the high street to the largest shop in the town.

"You going in?"

"Oh yes"

Sam pushed the door open, and walked up to the counter. She looked around, then took off her shoe and banged it on the counter top. A few moments later a door at the side of the shop was flung open, and a young red-headed woman stormed in.

"What the hell do you... Luna? What you doing here? We weren't supposed to meet until tomorrow"

"Wrong Luna, Ginny" Sam glared at the girl, who suddenly went pale.

"How do you know that nam... Oh my god. You?"

"Yes" Sam continued to glare at her "I have come to take you back, and to ask you who you are going to bring to the fight" There was a long moment of silence "You have been marshalling forces for the Recall, haven't you?" There was another moment of silence "I will take that as a yes, and you are just being too modest to tell me. So - you will bring Draco here, and you will tell me. NOW"

xoxox

"That went well" Luna watched Sam as they walked out of Hogsmeade "You are going home?"

"Pretty much" Sam stalked down the street with a grim look on her face "And you won't be seeing me in a week"

"Not even for me?"

"You still want to come?" Sam turned and faced her counterpart "This isn't your fight" She glared back up to the shop they had just left "They ensured that"

"It's not their fight" Luna smiled "That doesn't mean it isn't mine"

"Then I will be back in a week"

"Excellent"

xoxox

"Good god" Bella and Colin both took a step back when Luna walked out of the portal "Are you okay?"

"No" Luna pulled out her wand, then yelled "REDUCTO!"

A few moments later, when the noise had subsided, and the dust had settled, all three of them stared at the hole in the wall. 

And in the wall beyond that. 

And the wall beyond that.

"So - it went well?" Colin asked with a smile. Luna stared at him for a moment, then laughed. She turned back to the wall "Reparo! Reparo! Reparo!" As the walls fixed themselves, she turned back.

"Ginny and Draco have decided to stay where they are" She said in a calm voice, although her wand was twitching again "I am going to bed, and I will continue my trips tomorrow" She turned and stalked away, leaving Colin and Bella staring after her.

xoxox

"I was entirely ready to forgive her. I really was.

And now I just want to beat her repeatedly until she loses conscious. Then wake her up, and do it again.

But I have something to do next week, unlike Ginny, and so I will have to leave her alone. And next week will be the last chance I have to open the portal for another three years or so.

But, as I might have mentioned, three years isn't as long as it used to be..."


	4. Charlie and Fleur, Ron and Dean

The next morning, Luna woke up with a smile. Although some of her dreams had been pretty dark - the one where she caught up with Ginny was particularly unpleasant - she had also had a few "cross-dreams", as she liked to call them, and she knew that most of the rest of the groups would be coming back, and would be coming back with a fair amount of friends.

xoxox

She pushed open the door to the main living area, walked over to the dining table and sat down. She smiled as Colin handed her a cup of coffee, and then waved at Bella when she came in.

"You seem in a better mood today" Colin commented.

"You think she could have been in a worse one?" Bella asked with a smirk. Luna turned, and smiled at her again.

"Sorry about that" She glanced over at the wall "But hey - once we beat Tommy boy, I can open up my own dry-wall firm"

"So - you want to talk about it?" Bella gazed at her "If you think you can manage it without blowing more holes in the wall, that is" Luna gave a small chuckle, then she sighed.

"In the last three years, Ginny has set herself up in business, and now has a thriving store. And she is married to Harry. Draco is Minister, and married to Hermione. Neither of them want to give that up to come back and die in a war" There was a moment's pause.

"I can see why that annoyed you" Bella said softly.

"Indeed" Luna turned to Colin "Nothing to say?"

"What can I say? I was wrong about her" He shivered "I can't believe I ever thought she was cute!" This caused a burst of laughter, which Colin joined in with. When it had settled, Bella turned back to Luna.

"So - and don't think I am complaining, because I prefer our walls intact to not - why are you in such a good mood?"

"I had a few flashes from the others last night" Luna beamed "And most of them were good news. I will go to four of them today, and then deal with the other three tomorrow"

"You sure?" Colin asked "That won't... over tax you or anything?"

"No, but thank you for asking" Luna smiled again "I will be fine" She stood up "So - shall we go?"

xoxox

"Run!"

Sam had appeared in the middle of Diagon Alley, and almost at once there had been an explosion behind her. She turned to see Luna and Fleur running down the street towards her.

"What the..."

"RUN!" Luna grabbed her arm, and dragged her along towards The Leaky Cauldron. Just before they reached the wall that lead to the exit, there was another explosion. Sam turned to see that Gringotts was now a flaming ruin. But before she could take any more in, the wall had opened, and Luna was shoving her through. Fleur followed, and the gap closed behind them.

A moment later, Luna collapsed on the floor, panting with exhaustion. She sat for a few moments, then looked up.

"Did you go out of your way to pick the worst time? Or are we just very unlucky?"

"What's going on?" Sam stared at them, then added "And where's Charles?"

"Charles is dead"

xoxox

"What happened?" Luna had come back through the portal, and was sat at a table, surrounded by the rest of The Darkling Group.

"Just under three years ago, about three days after I sent them there, a group was formed called The Knights Of Valmar" Luna sighed "They decided that, since Tom wasn't a wholly human creature that it was their duty to purge society of the evil influence of all half-breed creatures"

"Oh my god" Bella exclaimed.

"Well - to cut a long story short - in the past three years, they have done their job well. Fleur is one of the last Veela alive, and Charlie died defending her" She sighed again "But the good news, if you can call it such a thing, is that both Luna and Fleur are coming back, and they are going to bring a butt-load of refugees with them" She smiled "And they will all be willing to fight, as long as they can stay here after the war ends" She looked around "Any objections?"

"No" Bella said "I mean - Fugde would object, but since part of the revolution will involve getting rid of him as well, I don't see his objections as being that important"

"And Voldemort would object" Colin added "But if he wins, I suspect we won't care one way or the other"

"True"

xoxox

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tonks had returned the night before "I mean - the last two did not go so well"

"I know" Luna smiled at her "And I would rather not get any more bad news, if I can avoid it"

"So why..."

"Two reasons" She stood up and started pacing "The first is that there is a time limit involved. I gave Harry and Hermione a week to prepare, and we have to launch the attack then, otherwise we will miss our opportunity"

"Makes sense" Tonks nodded "And the other?"

"I want some good news too" She smirked "And if I have to sit around here for a week, brooding on Ginny and Draco and dumb-ass Knights, I will go mental"

xoxox

Sam stepped out of the portal, to see Ron, Dean and Luna sat around the table.

"Hey Luna" Ron stood up, but turned when Luna giggled "What?"

"She likes to be called Sam" Luna said. At the puzzled look she got, she continued "If you call both of us Luna, then it will cause confusion and chaos. So the Luna from your world calls herself Sam whenever she goes to another universe" Ron and Dean stared at her for a few more moments, then shrugged.

"Okay" Ron turned back "Hey Sam"

"Hello Ronald" She turned "Dean, Luna. Are you all ready to go?"

"More or less" Luna replied, then glanced at Ron "There might be one, tiny problem"

"Oh yes?" Sam turned to look at Ron "Mr Weasley? Care to elaborate?" Ron looked down at his feet for a moment, then looked back up at her defiantly.

"Do you know what's been going on in this world?"

"More or less" Sam glanced across at her counterpart "Luna keeps me more or less informed"

"So you know how The Weasleys are viewed, and what my future will contain if I stay?"

"I do" She stared at him, unblinking.

"Well - last night we were talking" Dean said, then trailed off as Sam continued to stare at Ron.

"Ronald" Sam said in a soft voice "What do you want to tell me?"

xoxox

"So?" The group were gathered round, all staring at Luna as she told her story.

"He said that he liked it where he was" Luna said "And that if he came back, he might die, or worse"

"For a family that has been in Gryffindor since the dawn of time, they are not exactly full of courage, are they?" Colin said. Luna gazed at him for a moment, then smirked.

"That's what I thought" She beamed at them "But then he said that if he chose to stay, he would not be able to live with himself knowing how many were dying in his place"

"So - they are coming back?"

"Yes" She continued to beam at them "They will join us in the invasion next week, along with a number of other war heroes that they have talked in to it" She smiled at the expressions on her friends' faces.

"So - where to next?"

"I think it is time to visit Albus and Severus" Luna smiled "Then Padfoot and Minnie"

"Why..."

"They are the four most powerful of the remaining, and a lot of our strategy will be based on whether they come back or not" Bella said, and Luna nodded.

"You doubt they will?" Katie stared at them in surprise "The Headmaster would never back down, neither would McGonagall or Snape"

"I would have said the same for Draco and Ginny" Bella said softly "And yet..."

"So - I will go to Albus and Severus in half an hour, and Sirius and Minerva half an hour after I return" She looked around at the others "In the meanwhile, lets eat"


	5. Albus and Severus

"HALT!"

Sam had appeared in the middle of a nondescript alley, and almost at once heard the voice behind her. She turned, already raising her hands to show she had no wand in either of them.

"Hello. How can I help you?" She was facing three wizards in dark robes, all of them pointing their wands at her head.

"Whom do you support?" She stared at them, wondering what they were on about. When she didn't answer, the lead wizard took a step forward "WHOM DO YOU SUPPORT?"

Sam stared at them for another moment, then she gave a slight jump when she heard a quiet voice to her left.

"Tell them you support Lord Potter and The Army of The North"

"I support Lord Potter, and The Army of The North" She said, wondering what it meant. For a moment, nothing happened, then the three wizards lowered their wands, and pushed back their hoods, to reveal three people she recognised.

"Sorry about that" George said with a slight smile "The Order has been getting more and more adventurous in the past few weeks, and we have to question anyone who comes here unannounced"

"Of course" Sam nodded, then, at a further prompting from her left, she added "I have an important message to deliver, so if you will excuse me?" She turned, but stopped as Fred called out to her.

"One moment" She turned back, already resting her hand on her wand "There is the question of how you arrived here"

"Ah" She shrugged bashfully "That is the message I have to deliver, and - if you will forgive me - it is somewhat top secret"

"Okay" Ron nodded "But be careful - there are spies everywhere"

"I will" Sam turned, guided by an invisible hand on her waist, and walked away down the alley. When she reached the end, she turned, saw the three Weasley brothers were still watching her, gave them a wave, then turned and walked away.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"Not here" The reply came "We have to get to the neutral zone, otherwise we will run in to more agents of The Army of The North, and I am pretty sure we won't get away twice"

"Okay" Sam gave a sigh "But you are going to explain at some point?"

"Yes" There was a pause "But you won't like it"

"You do surprise me"

xoxox

"Commander, Severus" Sam nodded to the two men, then turned as Luna pulled her invisibility cloak off "Special Agent Lovegood"

"Sam" Luna smiled at her "I would like to introduce you to most of what remains of The Order of The Phoenix" She glanced at the two men "The other two members are on a recon mission in Diagon Alley - they should be back shortly"

"Five?" Sam's eyes widened in surprise "That's all?"

"After Harry found out about The Prophecy, he made peace with Tom" Dumbledore said "They split the country in two, and anyone who didn't chose sides, or tried to attack either side, was executed on the spot" He saw the look on Sam's face "Most of our group are either dead or defectors"

"Why would The Prophecy cause Harry to do that?" She asked "It doesn't even mention..." She trailed off "It's a different prophecy?" She stopped, and stared at them "You aren't my Albus and Severus, are you?"

"No" A voice came from behind her "They aren't" She turned, and gasped in surprise. Dumbledore and Snape were walking in to the room, but it was only the Headmaster's voice that let her recognise him.

"Sir?" She couldn't think of anything else to say at the sight that confronted her "What..." She trailed off, still not sure how to brace the topic of Dumbledore's arm, and Snape's left eye.

"Don't worry about it, Miss Lovegood - it happened a long time back, and it is no longer of concern to me" The Headmaster smiled "I take it you are here to recall us?"

"Yes" She drew her eyes away from the empty sleeve of his robe "We have planned to attack in five days time, and we will be sending for you then" She looked at them "Are you sure you want to come back?"

"Have you asked anyone else that?" Snape asked in a quiet voice.

"No, sir"

"So why do you think we would be willing to duck out on the war?" Snape stared at her, a look that was even more disconcerting when it came from only one eye.

"My apologies, sir" She glanced at Dumbledore "And to you Headmaster - I am truly sorry"

"Do not worry, Miss Lovegood" Dumbledore gave her a half smile "If we survive the war, I am sure you will find a way to make it up to us" She nodded "Now - you will wish to know the forces we can bring back?"

"Yes sir"

"Well - you are looking at them" He gestured to the other Snape and Dumbledore, and Luna "We have been wanted fugitives since The Sundering, and if we tried to take this to either side, we would be killed on sight"

"Very well" She took a deep breath, then nodded "In five days, the portal will open again, and you will be recalled to the war" She smiled "And if you could try not to die before then, I would be most grateful"

"We will do our utmost best"

xoxox

"Oh my" The members of Project Darkling stared at her.

"I know" She gave a fond smile "I gave them the option of sitting out of the rest of the war, but they wouldn't hear of it - in fact they were both quite insulted at the suggestion" She winced at the memory of the looks on their faces.

"Wouldn't you be?" Bella asked "If you broke your arm, or lost an eye, would you just sit back and take it?"

"I guess not" She looked at her watch "I will leave McGonagall and Black for tomorrow, along with the last three" She shivered "I don't think I could face them today" She stood up and walked to the room she shared with Bella. The group watched her until she closed the door, then all turned back to the table.

"So - how goes the plans for the invasion?" Bella asked. When no one replied, she asked again. Eventually, Colin spoke up.

"Well - we can only really think of one way of making the invasion go off without a hitch"

"And that is?"

"We blow up the school, with Tom inside"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who recognise is, this is partly a sequel to my story "Peace Of Mind". For those of you who don't recognise it, never mind :)


	6. Sirius And Minerva

"So - you are ready to return?" Sam had found Sirius and Minerva hiding out in Knockturn Alley. Her counterpart had lead her there after she appeared in front of Gringotts.

"You have no idea how ready we are" Sirius was grinning from ear to ear at the thought of it. Sam smiled in response, then turned to her former Transfiguration teacher.

"Being a wanted war criminal is not all it's cracked up to be, huh?"

"It was okay for the first few months" Professor McGonagall said "But then Sirius - the Sirius from here, not our Sirius obviously"

"Obviously"

"Tried to kidnap Minister Potter, and became the DMLE's most wanted over night" Sam turned to stare at Sirius.

"Since then, we have been forced to turn to the underground for help" Sirius finished "We have pretty much been on the run" He sighed "It's not as much fun as it is back home"

"Well - you only have another two days to go" Sam smiled "Do you think you can live that long?"

"We can try" Minerva replied "So - you are ready for the attack?"

"More or less, yes" Both Sirius and Minerva turned to face her.

"More or less?" McGonagall frowned "What does that mean?"

"When I came here, there was some debate about how we were going to launch the attack" Sam smirked, remembering the debate that she had left behind.

xoxox

"We blow up the school with Tom inside"

"Pardon me?" Bella turned to Colin, and stared at him "You want to destroy Hogwarts?"

"No" Colin shook his head "Not want. But will we have to?" He shrugged "I can't see any other way"

"Talk me through it" Bella sat down "I want to know why we have to destroy the school before I agree to it"

"Okay, Miss Black" Colin turned to Katie "Kate?" She stood up, and turned to face their boss.

"If you discount the people who are coming back, and the forces they might bring with them, there are basically five of us" She said "You, Luna, Colin, Tonks and me"

"That's true"

"Now, we know that there are at least eight members of The Resistance who will be coming back, and there might be another eight depending on how Luna does today"

"Don't forget the other Luna's who will be coming with her"

"So that makes a confirmed thirteen people, plus another possible twelve" Katie said "Assuming my maths hasn't let me down"

"No - that's right" Colin smiled at her.

"I know you are going to bring up the others that might be coming with our friends, but, for the moment, lets just work on the assumption we have anywhere between eighteen and thirty two people coming to the fight"

"Okay. Lets split it, and say twenty five" Bella said "You don't think that is enough?"

"To invade and occupy one of the most heavily fortified and warded buildings in the country?" The tone of Katie's voice left very little room as to her opinion.

"Could we sneak in?"

"We could, but that wouldn't entirely solve the problem, Miss Black" Katie looked at a notepad on the desk "Our last estimates put Voldemort's forces within the castle at around two to three hundred, and that doesn't include the acromantulas, centaurs and any other creatures he might have recruited"

"So they have over three hundred, and we have twenty five" Bella smirked "And you think that we wouldn't manage it?"

"I am sure we could try, Miss Black, but..."

"I am kidding, Colin" Bella smiled "So - you think we should blow the school up?"

"From what Commander Potter told us, we can sneak a whole boat load of muggle explosives in to The Chamber of Secrets. If we use the right combination of spells and wards, we can direct not only the water from the lake, but the blast of the explosion up through Myrtle's bathroom, and collapse most of the building. Once we have done that, we can invade the castle... well, the remains of the castle, and kill anyone who's left"

Bella stared at her team for a while, then shook her head.

"No"

"Miss Black?"

"We are not destroying the school, unless there is no other choice"

"Miss Black..."

"Give me. Other. Options"

xoxox

"So the fate of the school is still unknown?"

"At the moment, yes" Sam smiled back "But, on that topic - is there any chance you might be able to bring anyone else back with you?" She nodded to her counter part "Apart from Miss Lovegood, of course"

"Of course" Luna replied.

"I would love to be able to tell you yes" Sirius sighed.

"Don't worry about it" Sam patted his shoulder "Some of the others have managed to gather allies, so - as long as you three are coming, I will be happy"

"We are" Sirius said "You said two days?"

"Yes. Luna will know where to find the way back"

"Good"

xoxox

"So - did you come to any decision?" Luna reappeared in the Darkling building, and walked in to the conference room "Do we blow up the school?"

"Maybe" Katie sighed "We are hopelessly outnumbered, and although I hate to say it, we have very few warriors who can hope to compete with Voldemort's finest"

"Well that sucks" Luna said, then she smiled "Sirius and Minerva are coming back, along with Luna Six"

"No one else?"

"Sorry" She smiled "But I have three more groups, so - you never know" She looked at her watch "Okay - I am off again. Going to visit Lavender and Dudley"

xoxox

"We can't bring any help" Dudley took Lavender's hand as they faced Sam "And we can't return either"


	7. Dudley and Lavender

"And we can't return either"

Sam stared at the two members of the resistance, and wondered how much Bella would hurt her if she killed them now.

"I take it you have a reason?" She said in a toneless voice.

"Yes" Lavender replied "We have a reason" She glanced up at Luna "Do you want to explain?"

"I'd rather hear it from you" Sam yelled. Lavender shrunk backwards, but didn't reply "TELL ME!"

"BECAUSE SHE HAS NO MAGIC!" Dudley screamed at Sam "IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR?" He turned and took Lavender in his arms, shielding her from Sam's fury. But it wasn't necessary, as Sam had sat down on a chair with a bump, and was now staring at her counterpart.

"It's true" Luna said softly "Seven years ago, when Voldemort first returned, he was much weaker than your version. Harry Potter almost defeated him the night he was reborn, but Voldemort escaped before Harry could finish him off"

"Okay" Sam replied, glancing at the pair on the other side of the desk.

"Voldemort knew that he would never be able to defeat The Order, not with Dumbledore and Potter at the height of their powers, so he set about finding other ways to gain power" She paused, and wiped away a tear at the corner of her eye "With the help of some muggles from America, he developed a virus that would collapse the magical core of anyone infected"

"Oh my god"

"His original plan was to infect Hogwarts" Luna was crying openly now "To strip the students and teachers of their powers, so that he could literally walk in to the castle without opposition"

"Why their cores?" Sam asked "Why not kill them?"

"Because he wanted the fun of doing it himself" Lavender replied in a quiet voice "The day he came to the school..." She shivered as she remembered the stories of events of five years before.

"So what went wrong?" Sam asked "I mean - it's obvious Voldemort isn't in control of this world, so I assume that he lost his magic too?"

"Yeah" Luna gave an evil grin "It appears that Voldemort trusted the wrong people"

"Sorry?"

"The muggles from America were part of an ultra religious faction that believed wizards were Satan's bedfellows" Dudley said "They told him the plague would die after three days, and that after that it couldn't infect anyone" He paused, then shrugged "They lied"

"So as he was wiping out Hogwarts..."

"He caught it, and his core collapsed" Lavender said "It happened during one of his public torture sessions" This time, she smiled "When the students realised what had happened, they attacked"

"I thought they didn't have..."

"They didn't" Lavender replied "They used chairs, tables, knives, forks - they literally beat him to death, along with most of his Death Eaters"

"But you only arrived here three years ago" Sam's eyes suddenly went wide "It's still active?" She saw all three nod "How many?"

"How many what?" Luna asked, though she had a fair idea of the answer.

"You" She looked at her counterpart "Can't be affected. The link still exists, and although I don't totally understand it, I know enough to know it is powered by magic. So some of you must be immune"

"You're good" Dudley said, then glanced at Luna "Although I shouldn't be surprised" He turned back to Sam "It appears that one person - one wizard - out of every ten thousand is immune. But the immunity is kind of like pregnancy - you either are or you aren't. There is no half-way"

"Holy crap" Sam stood up, sending her chair shooting backwards.

"I see you understand" Luna sighed.

"Back home, there are around 65,000 wizards. So one in every ten thousand would mean..."

"Six, including Luna" Dudley replied "But you are not getting the full picture" He stared at her for a moment, but, when she didn't reply, he continued "The plague ended up going world wide" For a moment, Sam stared at him, not comprehending. Then, she did.

"How many?"

"At last count?" Luna paused "Just over half a million, scattered over the globe" There was a long period of silence as Sam digested this information. Then she pulled up her chair and sat down.

"Okay" She took a deep breath "Luna - are you infectious?"

"No"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes" Luna smiled "If you are immune, you can't pass it on either"

"Okay" She paused "But Lavender..."

"If I come back, then within two years it won't matter if we win or lose, because there will be nothing left to fight for" She stared at Sam "We don't want to run out on a fight, but we can't come back" Sam paused, then nodded.

"Okay" She stood up again "I am sorry I yelled"

"Forget it" Dudley said "You have bigger things to worry about"

"That's true" She looked around "Though this kind of puts the war in to perspective"

xoxox

Sam appeared in front of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, and pushed the door open.

"Greetings customer" Fred's voice boomed out "I will be with you in a moment. I just need to finish teaching this shop lifter a lesson"

Sam watched in disbelief as the red-head lifted his wand, pointed it at a kid who couldn't be more than thirteen years old, and yelled "CRUCIO!"


	8. Fred And Alicia

_Sam appeared in front of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, and pushed the door open._

_"Greetings customer" Fred's voice boomed out "I will be with you in a moment. I just need to finish teaching this shop lifter a lesson"_

_Sam watched in disbelief as the red-head lifted his wand, pointed it at a kid who couldn't be more than thirteen years old, and yelled "CRUCIO!"_

xoxox

She pulled out her wand, and aimed it at Fred, but before she could do anything else, she felt a wand jabbed in her back.

"Now - why would you want to be doing that?" Alicia said from behind her "You aren't one of the White-Hats, are you?"

"Of course not" Sam replied "I just wanted to make sure the kid couldn't do anything if he escaped" Not for the first time, she wondered where her counterpart was.

"Good" Alicia walked round in front of her, but didn't lower he wand "So, you won't mind if I ask you to hand over your wand while you are in the shop?"

"I don't know you from Morgana - how do I know you won't do something once I do?" Sam asked in response "Would you do the same if you were in my position?" She noticed that Fred had stopped torturing the child to watch the exchange.

"Almost certainly not" Alicia grinned at her "But I'm not in your position. So - hand it over" Sam stared at the woman, then glanced at Fred, who was now pointing his wand at her as well.

"Okay" She slowly turned the wand round in her hand, then passed it to Alicia.

"Smart girl" Alicia turned to Fred "He's learned his lesson - let him go, then close the store" She glanced back at Sam "I think I want to spend some time with this one before we turn her in"

xoxox

"So - what's your name?"

"Sam"

"Sam what?"

"Sam Beckett" She saw the expressions of amusement on their faces

"Quantum Leap?"

"Waiting for Godot"

"You have my sympathies" Alicia stood up and rested her hands on the table "What are you doing here?" Sam stared at them for a moment, then decided to tell them the truth.

"Darkling" The effect was instantaneous. Both of her captors sat down, and smiled.

"Finally!" A voice came from behind them "I thought you were never going to get here" Sam turned, and gasped in surprise.

xoxox

"Black hair?"

"You don't think it suits me?" Luna asked, twirling the said hair in her hands.

"No"

"Me neither" Luna shook her head "But having blonde hair is not healthy round these parts"

"You realise that makes no sense?"

"To you, maybe" Luna smirked "But you don't live here, so you might have a slightly warped perspective on things" Sam let out a snort of disbelief "What?"

"I find Fred Weasley - a man whose brother was tortured in to insanity - using an unforgivable curse on a thirteen year old boy, and you say my perspective is warped?" She was trying not to get angry, but when Luna started to laugh, she felt her resolve vanish, and she punched her counterpart. Luna reeled back, then, holding her hand to her nose, took a step forward.

"Feeling better?"

"No!" She raised her hand again, but Luna merely smiled.

"Fred. Could you come in here?" The door opened, and Alicia and Fred came in "Could you cast the curse you cast on your shoplifter on Miss Beckett here - it seems she hasn't figured it out yet"

"Okay" Fred turned "CRUCIO!" Sam tensed, expecting a rush of pain, but instead felt a light tickling sensation all over her body. Fred smiled at her, then lowered his wand.

"Okay. I am officially confused" Sam looked at them "Either you lot are crazy, or I am"

"Actually - it's neither" Alicia said, then sat down "This universe is a little... different than ours"

"No, really?"

"Don't be snippy" Luna chided "What Licy means is that the people are on the same sides, but the sides are reversed" Sam stared at her for a moment, then frowned.

"So - Voldemort's a good guy, and The Order is the evil empire?"

"Pretty much, except that everyone accepts that The Order is a good thing" Fred said "And since The Order controls the country, under the leadership of High Chancellor Dumbledore, we have had to... blend in"

"Oh" Sam nodded again "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"No" Alicia shook her head "It's the way this world is - it can't be changed" She looked at Sam "So - are you here to take us back?"

"In two days" Sam replied "Will it just be you three?"

"Actually - no" Fred said, then smirked "We have some friends who are willing to help"

xoxox

"You have got to be joking" Bella stared at Luna as she explained the results of her most recent trip.

"I know it's hard to believe, but my counterpart, and Fred and Alicia, all say that The White Hats are willing to fight" Bella stared at her for a moment, then chuckled.

"Well - I think I can safely say that now I've seen everything"

"We do have one problem"

"Just one?"

"Yeah" Luna smirked "What do you think will happen when The Resistance and The White-Hats meet for the first time?"

"Oh crap"


	9. Orla And Morag

The next morning, Luna retold the story of her visit to Alicia and Fred's universe to the rest of the group.

"You are kidding?"

"No" Luna smiled "The White-Hats, lead by Tom Riddle and Lucius Malfoy, want to come and fight"

"Why?" Colin asked.

"Because they are good people" She saw the looks of disbelief on their faces "I know - it's hard to believe, but Fred and Alicia believe in them, so I do too"

"But why are they coming here?" Katie asked "This isn't their world"

"No, but Tom - their Tom, obviously - doesn't like the idea that there is a version of him that is is like Albus and Harry" She paused "Again - their Albus and Harry, not ours"

"So he is doing it out of a sense of duty?"

"Just call him Frederick" Bella smirked, then, when everyone stared at her in confusion, she continued "Good god, I'm surrounded by barbarians"

"Anyway" Luna continued "I think that we can use this to our advantage"

"How?" Tonks asked, but Bella already had her hand up.

"Yes, Miss Black?"

"Sympathetic magic" Bella announced proudly "Everyone's magical signature is unique - even identical twins. Everyone is born with their signature, and it never changes. That is how the wand chooses the wizard, and why Fred and George had different wands"

"Okay"

"And when two wizards fight, using magic, the interaction of the two magical signatures causes ripples" She paused "Depending on the power of the wizards, and the spells they are using, effects can be felt a fair way away"

"So if Commanders Potter and Dumbledore were to fight, we would feel it?"

"If those two fought? Yes" Bella nodded.

"But what does this have to do with Tom and Voldemort?" Katie asked.

"They are the same person, and so they will have the same magical signature. So will their Lucius and ours" Bella smiled.

"And this means... what?" Tonks asked.

"That any spells cast by one can easily be negated by the other" Luna said, then turned to Bella "Sorry. I kind of stole your thunder, didn't I?"

"A little, but since it was your mother's work..."

"True" She turned back to the group "It means we should be able to down the wards around Hogwarts with very little problem" She looked at the others "See - I told you it was good" She looked at her watch "Okay - see if you can modify the invasion plan with this in mind. I have to go find Orla and Morag, and Luna 9"

"Yes Boss"

xoxox

"Well - this wasn't what I expected"

"I didn't think it would be"

"But it is kind of nice" Sam stared around the amusement park in wonder. There were muggle rides, of course, but also there appeared to be a lot of wizard based rides, and rides that seemed to be a mix of the two. After a few moments of staring, she turned back to her counterpart "So - where are my friends?"

"Over here" Luna led her down one of the main streets of the park, and to a ride. When they reached it, Sam let out a chuckle "They said you would do that"

"'The Darkling Experience'?" Sam smiled "What else would I do?"

"Do you want a go?" Sam looked at her watch, then shrugged.

"I've got time"

xoxox

"Wow" Sam and Luna waited until the carriage came to a halt, then stood up and climbed out "That was amazing"

"I think it is my favourite ride" Luna said, smiling at Sam's reaction.

"And, if it wasn't for the war, I would be tempted to stay here, just to ride it again" Sam replied.

"Thank you" Two voices came from her left, and she turned to see Orla and Morag walking down the stairs towards her.

"Miss Quirke. Miss McDougal" Sam nodded to the last two members of The Resistance "I see you have made something of yourself in this world"

"We have" Orla smiled back at her "When we arrived, and found out that wizards and muggles were living together in perfect harmony, we decided to try to fit in the best we could" She shrugged in a self-deprecating manner "We never thought we would be this successful"

"Although" Morag interrupted "We did have some help from Luna here"

"I just advised them on some of the other universes" Luna smiled "Nothing too major"

"Well - I am suitably impressed" Sam replied "But you know why I have come"

"Yes, Miss Lovegood" Orla said "And we are ready to come back with you"

"You know that it is a one way trip?"

"Yes" Morag replied "We didn't do this for our benefit - we did it for theirs" She gestured to the other people getting off the ride "It will be here long after we are, and people for years to come will get to enjoy it. How many others can say they have done something like that?" She paused "Aside from you and Miss Black, of course"

"Of course" Sam smirked "I will be back this time tomorrow. Are you bringing anyone with you?"

"We can't" Moral shook her head, but held her hand up before Sam could interrupt "The last wizarding war might only have lasted two years, but believe me when I say it was far, far more devastating than ours was. But look at it now - they have recovered, rebuilt and started a new"

"Neither of us are willing to ask them to go to war again" Orla said "Not for someone else anyway"

"I understand" Sam smiled at them "So - this time tomorrow"

"Yes" Orla paused "I take it you will tell us the battle plan then?"

"Yes" Sam replied, then, conjuring the portal behind her, she turned and walked towards it. As she reached it, she turned back and added "Assuming we have one, of course"


	10. Battleplans

The next morning, the three remaining members of The Resistance came in to breakfast to find Luna sat on the table with her eyes closed, while Bella watched her carefully.

"Miss Black?" Colin asked quietly. Bella glanced at him, then stood and up, and shooed the three of them out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Sorry - but I didn't want you disturbing Luna while she was talking" Bella said.

"To whom?"

"Herself" Bella smirked, then continued "After you went to bed last night, Luna pointed out a major problem in the plan"

"Which was?"

"The five of us are going to attack Hogwarts, and you three are going to vanish almost as soon as we get there. That means it would be left to Luna and me to explain the rest of the plan to the rest of the returnees, and their friends, probably while we are under attack from Voldemort's forces" She saw them all smile "You can see why she thought that might be a problem"

"No kidding" Katie smiled "So she's talking to the other Luna's, and telling them what will happen?"

"It seemed like the best solution" Bella replied "Well - that, or see if we can find a way to freeze time for an hour or so while we go through the intricacies of how to storm a thousand year old castle" She shook her head "No - this way seems easier"

"You would think so" Luna came in from behind the group "But now I have a headache" Bella smiled sympathetically.

"Don't think that I don't care, but did you manage to explain everything to everyone?"

"Yes" Luna said, nodding slightly "My counterparts understand what they have to do, and as we speak they are spreading the news through the rest of those who are coming with them" She rubbed her temples "But I really have to go lie down" She saw the looks of worry on their faces "Don't worry - I will be ready for this afternoon, it's just that, as it turns out, there is a large difference between looking at in to the minds of the other Luna's and trying to actively communicate with them" She inclined her head, then turned and left the room. When she had gone, the other three turned back to Bella.

"Can we put this off if she isn't alright?" Tonks asked.

"No" Bella shook her head "The other groups are all ready to return this afternoon, and there is no way to tell them if we postpone it" She glanced at the door that Luna had just gone through "Especially since talking to them directly was what caused her headache in the first place" They were all quiet for a moment, then Katie sighed.

"So - what do we do if she isn't okay?" She asked "I mean - she is the key to the whole thing. If she can't pull the groups back, what do we do?"

"We go down in history for being the five fighters in one of the shortest, yet bloodiest battles in recent times" Bella said with a smile "Doesn't that sound like fun?"

xoxox

Luna leaned back in bed, and stared at the ceiling. Her head was pounding - a lot less than it had been an hour before, but still enough to bother her. She knew one way of healing it quickly, but this close to the coming battle she didn't want to draw on the power of her other selves. The connection was a bit hit and miss, and she didn't want to risk draining the nine Luna's who would be coming through the portals.

"At least they know what they will be facing" She thought, then grinned. When she had explained the strategy that Bella had drawn up, every one of her counterparts had agreed to it, even though they knew the risks that it would entail. They had also agreed that no one else needed to know what the biggest risk was "After all, it will only affect me. Or us, depending on your point of view"

She also grinned at the offer that Luna3 had made - to force Draco and Ginny back through the portal, at wand point if necessary. She had considered it, but in the end she decided against it. Ginny and Draco would just have to live with never knowing how the battle had turned out, and whether they could have made a difference or not.

"And Bella thinks I can't hold a grudge" She smirked to herself "I think I can even convince Luna3 to take an oath not to tell them, so they won't even get news that way" She paused, then giggled "Unless she tells them it was an absolute disaster, and everyone is dead" She smiled at the thought.

xoxox

"Okay. There is one more thing you should know" Luna had emerged from her room ninety minutes before they were due at Hogwarts "When I recall the others through the portals, I am going to make sure we can tell who is who" She paused "This is mostly because of the ward-breaking team, but also because we can't be sure who will be in the school and who won't, and I don't want to lose anyone because of a misunderstanding" They all nodded "So - what I will do is put a number on everyone's forehead" She pulled out her wand, and pointed towards herself. A moment later, a glowing white "0" appeared in the middle of her forehead "Anyone from this world will have a zero, and the others will have the numbers one to nine, depending on which portal they come back through"

"Why different numbers?" Tonks asked "If the idea is to make sure we don't kill someone on our side, why not a symbol?"

"Because we need to know where to send them back to" Bella replied, glancing at Luna for confirmation "And, unless they want to go, we don't want to send any of our people back through the portals"

"Right" Luna nodded "These numbers will only be visible to us - anyone on our side, that is. Voldemort won't know about them, so he shouldn't be able to replicate them" She paused "The basic rule is if they have a number, don't attack them. If they don't have a number..." She trailed off, and turned to Bella "Miss Black - I think this would be your choice"

"Thank you" Bella said, the sarcasm evident in her voice

"You're welcome" Luna smirked. Bella smiled back, then turned to the other three.

"It's a judgement call. If you think they are dangerous, you can do what you have to. If you think they will surrender, give them a chance" She paused "But I can promise you now that no one - not you three, nor any of our allies, will be punished for what you do in there. This will be a brutal, bloody battle, and there are very good odds that, despite our plan, it will descend in to chaos quickly" She lowered her head for a moment, then looked back up "If you have to make a choice between your life, and the life of someone who isn't in our group, then your life should always, always take precedence. Apart from that - I want you all to come home alive" They all nodded, including Luna "Good" She looked at her watch "Okay - we have about an hour or so before we are due. If you have anything you need to do before we go, you should do it now" She watched as Colin and Katie both blushed, then she grabbed his hand and pulled him away, towards her bedroom. After they had disappeared, Tonks turned to the other two.

"Not exactly what you had in mind, I take it?"

"Not exactly, no" Bella smirked "But hey - a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do" She paused "And it looks like she is definitely gonna do something"

xoxox

"You ready?"

"No. You?"

"God no"

"But we'll do it anyway?"

"Of course" Luna grinned at her boss and friend, then turned to the other three "Okay - you are good to go. Get in to The Chamber, plant the explosives, and then wait for Invasion Group 2 to join you. Don't try to leave The Chamber before then - the three of you won't stand a chance"

"Yes boss" They all saluted, then turned and ran off towards the near end of the village. Luna and Bella watched them go, then both turned to face the castle.

"Well, my friend, I think our time has come to shine" Bella said.

"Indeed" Luna replied "Lets go"

xoxox

Voldemort walked up to his throne, and sat down. He surveyed The Great Hall, and smiled. It hadn't been necessary to hold a public execution in the school for nearly six months, but the night before there had been an attempted break out, and that sort of thing could not be tolerated. He nodded to Lucius, and leaned back, ready for the entertainment.

"STUDENTS OF HOGWARTS" Lucius' voice rang out "YOU ARE HERE TODAY TO WITNESS T..." Whatever the students had been gathered to witness was lost as the sound of a huge explosion ripped through the hall.

"Lucius" Voldemort's voice was calm and quiet, but it silenced the room "What was that?"

"I know not, my Lor..." Before he could finish, another explosion followed the first.

"Perhaps you should find out"

"Yes, my Lord!" He turned, and sprinted down the hall in to the main entrance. Casting a temporary transparency charm, he looked out through the front doors, and his mouth fell open in surprise. He glanced back at The Great Hall, not wanting to return there to tell Voldemort what he had seen, but when he felt a tingling in his left arm, he knew that he had no choice. He turned, and walked back in to the all.

"So, Lucius, what did you see?"

"I think, my Lord, that you should see it for yourself" Lucius replied, bracing himself for the cruciatus curse he was sure was coming.

"Why is that, Lucius?"

"The Resistance have decided to invade"

xoxox

"Tom Riddle" Bella's magically amplified voice carried across the grounds, so that everyone in the school could hear it "Your day is done. We are here to take back our country and our castle"

"Is that you, Bella?" Voldemort's voice came back "I always thought you could have done great things by my side"

"Sorry, Tommy boy, but I have some morals, not to mention taste"

"Ah well - your loss" Voldemort paused "I can't help but notice there are only two of you. Not a very large army to retake the castle, is it?"

"Appearances can be deceiving, Tom" Bella replied "Are you willing to come quietly? Or will we fight this day?"

"I have grown quite accustomed to my life here, and I am afraid that I am not willing to give it if you wish, you can join me, and I will make you welcome"

"Then, Tom, you leave us no choice" Bella said "We will have to take it from you"

"You are most welcome to try!" Voldemort stared down at the two witches, and saw Bella turn to her accomplice "That must be the Lovegood girl" He reflected "I thought Fudge had taken care of her" He watched as they both drew their wands, wondering what sort of attack they could launch from that distance, then there was a massive flash of light that filled the area, causing him to close his eyes and turn away. Half a minute later, he turned back, and froze at the sight he saw before him.


	11. The Recall

_"Then, Tom, you leave us no choice" Bella said "We will have to take it from you"_

_"You are most welcome to try!"_

xoxox

Bella turned to Luna.

"It's time. Can you do it?"

"You doubt me?" Luna said in a hurt voice "I am wounded!" She turned her back on the castle, and pulled out her wand "Can you give me some cover?"

"You doubt me?" Bella replied in the same tone Luna had used, but then turned and yelled "LUMOS SOLARIS MAXIMUS!" As a bright light shone out across the castle grounds, Luna started her incantations.

"Universum omnia retornare ascartum ad ixium, et scribum numerus detectius" She took a step back and pointed her wand at the ground "ARRIPARE!"

As she finished the spell, she opened her mind, and smiled as she felt the nine Lunas all confirm that the portals had appeared. She turned back to Bella.

"They're coming" She said, but almost before she finished speaking, there was a pop, and nine people appeared in front of her "Fred, Alicia" She smiled "And Mr Riddle" She gave a short bow.

"Miss Lovegood" Thomas Riddle returned the bow, then glanced at the castle "I take it that is our target?"

"Yes, sir" She glanced at the others "But I must ask you to wait until the other groups return"

"Of course" Thom smiled at her "But I don't think we will have to wait long" He turned, and there was another pop and eighteen more people appeared. Over the next ten seconds, the rest of the groups appeared in a series of quiet pops.

"Welcome - all of you" Bella called out "I wish I had time to great you properly, but I don't" She glanced up at the sky, and her spell was starting to fade "So - form up. Battle Group 1 - get to work. We need those wards down"

"Yes m'am" Thom nodded, then he led his Bella and the others over to a stone wall, where they began their attack on the wards. Bella watched for a moment, then turned back.

"Invasion Group 2 - join Invasion Group 1 in The Chamber, and proceed in to the school. Do not get yourselves killed"

"Yes m'am" Bella couldn't help smiling as three Fleurs saluted her, then, along with one Gabrielle, they ran off in the same direction that Colin, Katie and Tonks had departed in earlier.

"Battle Groups 2 and 3 - wait for Battle Group 1 to finish, then all three of you go in to the school. Battle Group 1 is to break down any further wards, Battle Group 2 is to confront the Death Eaters, Battle Group 3 is to secure the students and get them the hell out of there"

"Yes Boss" They all replied.

"I do NOT want you confronting Voldemort" Luna said suddenly "You can't win and it will cost you your lives"

"Yes Boss" They all repeated.

"Perimeter Groups - move out" All the Weasleys moved off to the village, and set up a line of defence to stop re-enforcements, while the eleven centaurs that had come through with Fleur all moved towards the forest. Bella watched them all go, then turned back to the Luna.

"Well - we are ready. Once Thom has brought down the wards, let the three Battle Groups go in first and clear the way"

"I was listening to the plan, Miss Black" Luna smirked.

"I know" Bella smiled "But they seem to be taking longer than I thought they would, and I am little nervous"

"You?" Luna grinned "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named nervous? The Harbinger is nervous?" Bella turned and glared at her.

"Are you doing this to distract me, Lovegood?"

"Yes" Luna replied "Is it working?"

"Well - yes" Bella admitted "But that's beside the point" She turned as the air was filled with the sound of a thousand windows shattering.

xoxox

"Lucius?"

"Yes, my Lord"

"Can you explain any of this?" Voldemort stared out from the tower as the various groups split off.

"No, my Lord" Lucius stared down "The resistance can not have forces of this strength. They could not have hid them from us for this long"

"And yet, Lucius, they appear to have forces of this strength"

"Yes, my Lord" Lucius turned "I have no explanations, my Lord"

"It does not worry me" Voldemort paused "Yet. Do you believe they can take down our wards?"

"No my Lord!" Lucius said firmly "We have the strongest wards in the country, and I do not believe they can collapse them" As he finished speaking, the sound of a thousand windows shattering filled the air, and all around them there were sparks of every colour as the wards protecting Hogwarts collapsed in a display of magical pyrotechnics. Lucius' mouth fell open in disbelief.

"Lucius" Voldemort's voice was quiet, but firm.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"I can't help but notice that they seem to have brought out wards down" Voldemort turned to him "Or am I imagining it?"

"No, my Lord" Lucius sighed "You are not imagining it" He looked down, then suddenly turned back "My lord - they attack!"

"Then call out the guard, Lucius. Find them, and kill them all" He glared at his follower "Do this, and I may be tempted to overlook your mistakes"

"YES, MY LORD!" Lucius yelled, then ran down, in to the tower.

xoxox

"Okay - Battle Groups - go!" Bella called out. A moment later, Thom, Bellatrix and his people ran towards the school, followed by a team made up of Harry's, Hermione's, Dumbledore's, McGonagall's, Snape's and Sirius's followed them. Once the two groups had entered the school, another group, made up of twenty students and staff set off across the grounds. Luna, Bella and the other nine Luna's watched them go. After two minutes, Bella turned to the assembled Luna's.

"Okay. I think that's enough time. If the Invasion Groups have done their job, the Battle Groups should have cut a swath through the Death Eaters, and we can find Voldemort without any problem" She paused "You ready?"

"Yes Boss" All ten Luna's replied in unison. Bella stared at them for a moment.

"Creepy" She said to herself. She turned back to the castle, then called out "Come on, Miss Lovegoods, it's time to walk in to hell"


	12. Retaking The School

"We want to fight" Fleur glared at Katie "They killed my sister, and my parents" She glanced at the Gabrielle who had come with her through the portal "I owe it to them"

"The Death Eaters will be punished" Katie replied "So will The Angels and all those who sided with Voldemort. But the Battle Groups will take care of them" She glanced around "There is a reason we only have seven people in our groups, while there are forty four in the Battle Groups - we have to go by un-noticed, and plant the rest of the explosives, then get out" She glared at Fleur "If you can't do that then leave" Fleur glared back, then nodded reluctantly.

"Good" Katie turned to the rest of the group "We are going to break in to three groups - two twos and a three" She looked at Tonks and Colin "One of us will be with each group, as we know what the castle is like in this universe. We are to plant explosives in the four common rooms, the infirmary and the potions classrooms"

"What about The Room of Requirement?" Fleur asked.

"The what?"

"Never mind"

"We have configured it so we can detonate them remotely, so once we are done, we get out and meet up where the portals appeared" Katie paused "Assuming that the Assault Group do their job, they will meet us out there, and you can all go home" She smiled "Of course, if they don't do their job..." She shook her head "Never mind. So - shall we go?"

xoxox

"McNair?" Lucius charged down the hall, but was brought up short as he found one of his Death Eaters stood near the main doors "I thought you were keeping the Hufflepuffs in line"

"You just can't get the staff these days, can you?" Bellatrix said from behind him. Lucius span round.

"Bella?" He turned back to McNair "Since when are you on good terms with Bellatrix Black?"

"Since he decided to work for me" Lucius' mouth fell open as Thomas Riddle walked up next to Walden "Now, Lucius - are you going to help us get everyone out of here, or am I going to have to punish you?"

"My lord..." Lucius started, then stopped. He tried again "My Lord..." He stared at the three people facing him.

"Looks like we broke him" McNair said with a smirk "Should we tell him the truth?"

"No" Thom replied "He would only feel the need to tell Voldemort, and we don't want that sort of news getting out, do we?"

"Voldemo..." Lucius stared at them "You're not..."

"Diffindo!" Bellatrix's spell severed Lucius' head from his neck. As they watched it hit the floor, Thom nodded.

"Okay - let's go"

xoxox

"My Lord" Dolohov knelt before Voldemort "We appear to have a problem"

"Yes, Antonin?" Voldemort stared down at his servant.

"Lucius is dead, my Lord" He flinched, expecting some sort of punishment, but none came.

"How?"

"Decapitated"

"Who?"

"I don't know"

"Then you should find out"

"Yes, my Lord"

xoxox

Susan and Cedric threw open the portrait hole, and ran in to the Hufflepuff common room. Cedric put his wand to his throat.

"SONORUS!" He called out, then continued "WE ARE WITH THE RESISTANCE. ANYONE WHO WANTS OUT. GET DOWN HERE NOW!" He paused "Quietus" He turned to Susan.

"Any idea how we are going to get them out?" She asked.

"Depending on how good Battle Group 1 is, yes" He nodded, then pulled a bag out of his robes "Portkeys to Darkling HQ" He handed her a dozen keys "Assuming there are no anti-portkey wards up, they should do"

"And if there are?"

"Then we do it the old-fashioned way" He looked around as the room started to fill up with kids "Did Luna - your Luna - teach you the DMD spell?"

"Yup" She pulled out her wand "You take the left?"

"Okay" They looked around, and smiled when the torrent of kids seemed to subside "Everybody shut up!" The entire room fell silent, and he smiled "That's better. My friend and I are going to cast a small spell over you, because we need to know who we can take, and who we can't" He nodded to Susan, and they both cast the spell.

"REVELUS MORSMORDUS!" When nothing happened, they both smiled.

"Okay" Susan continued "Form up in groups of five" She saw a few of them hesitate "You are all going to the same place, so don't worry about who you go with" She watched as the kids sorted themselves out "Okay - each group, take one of these" She and Cedric started handing out the keys.

xoxox

"Bella - we need to move faster" The Luna's and Bella were making their way along to The Great Hall, following behind the second of the Battle Groups.

"The Commanders are doing their best" Bella looked around "If they go any faster, they risk missing someone" Luna frowned in frustration.

"I know. I know" She shook her head "But if we don't hurry up, he is going to flee, and we will have lost our only chance" Bella turned to stare at her.

"You sure?"

"It's what I'd do" She replied "Well - if I was a Dark Lord hell-bent on running the world and killing everyone who opposed me" She paused "Although that could be kind of fun" She turned to the others "What do you say girls?" She looked at Bella's expression "I swear you have no sense of humour"

xoxox

"My Lord"

"Yes, Antonin?"

"There have been more deaths"

"The Resistance?"

"It would appear so"

"What do you suggest we do about this?" Voldemort stared down at him "Nothing to say?"

"I don't know my Lord" Dolohov paled "They are cutting through every ward as if it were butter. And all the detections spells appear to be broken"

"In what way?"

"They are showing the same person appearing all over the castle" He pulled out his wand "Point me Harry Potter" A few seconds later, an arrow appeared, but with three heads, all pointing in different directions. He dispelled it, then turned back to Voldemort "No one can find anyone, and everyone we send out ends up dead"

"Then in that case, we should stop sending people out" Voldemort pulled out his wand, and tapped a crystal embedded in his throne "Everyone return to The Great Hall. We are going to make our stand here"

xoxox

"What the hell?" Harry turned to glance at the rest of his group "Where are they going?"

"I don't know" Hermione watched as the Death Eaters retreated along the corridor, leaving them alone "Should we follow them?"

"No" All three Dumbledore's shook their heads, then one continued "We should use this opportunity to get the children out"

"Battle Group Three..."

"I know" Dumbledore interrupted "But there are only twenty of them, and we don't know how they have faired. If we help, and get all the children clear, then - if all else fails, we can blow up the school" His two counterparts nodded in agreement.

"Very well" Harry replied "Severus - you three go to Slytherin. Minerva - you two to Gryffindor. Sirius - Huffepuff. We five" He gestured to the other him and the three Hermione's "Will go to Ravenclaw" Everyone nodded "You all have the portkeys, and if that fails you get them down to The Chamber, and out that way"

"Yes sir!" Everyone saluted, then went their own way.

xoxox

"What do we have here?" Cedric span round as the portrait hole to Hufflepuff House was thrown open again "Trying to help them escape, are we?"

"Better than leaving them here" He replied, staring at the new comer "They told me you had betrayed the cause, but I really couldn't bring myself to believe it"

"I serve the one true government" Susan Bones stared back at him "We kept order while Potter and Dumbledore created chaos"

"They told you Voldemort was back, and you ignored them!" Cedric yelled at her "You sold out your country - your people - and for what?"

"For a chance to sit at the right hand of God" Susan smirked "Now - drop your wands, and tell your friend to turn around" Cedric slowly pulled his wand out, then dropped it to the floor. The former Angel smiled "Now - your frie..."

"STUPEFY!" Cedric watched as one Susan stunned the other, then dived to the ground, picked his wand up and turned to the kids.

"HomeHomeHome!" The children vanished in a puff of light, leaving the three adults stood there on their own "So - what do we do with her?" Susan stared at him for a moment, then span around, wand raised.

"STUPEF... good god Sirius - don't do that!" She stared at the three figures in the door way "I nearly killed you!"

"Sorry" He looked around "Hufflepuffs gone already?"

"Yup" Cedric nodded "We were just wondering what we were going to do with her" He pointed down at the unconscious form of Susan.

"I have an idea" Sirius smirked "Tie her up, and we'll come back for her"

"Okay" Susan stared at him "But it had better be good"

xoxox

Bella turned as Dumbledore and Harry came towards them.

"We're done" Harry said "All the students are out, and it seems that all of the Death Eaters are holed up in The Great Hall"

"Okay" Bella nodded "Signal the recall, and get everyone back to the forest" She glanced up the hall "We can deal with the rest"

"Are you sure?" Dumbledore asked "There are about fifteen Death Eaters in there with him - you might need some assistance"

"We'll be fine" The ten Luna's said in unison "We won't need any help now" Dumbledore stared at them.

"It creeps me out too" Bella said with a smirk "But she - they are right. All of you should go. We'll handle it from here"


	13. Prophecy Fulfilled

"My Lord" Dolohov bowed low "The Resistance has fled! They are leaving the building as we speak!"

"And what of the children?"

"They didn't get them out. We saw no children leaving the Houses"

"You have done well" Voldemort smiled "You may yet live to take Lucius' place in my army" Before Dolohov could reply, the doors to The Great Hall were sent flying through the air by a massive explosion. They crashed in the wall and shattered. A moment later, two figures strode in to the room. Voldemort stared at them for a moment, then turned back to Dolohov "Or perhaps not" He stood up "Miss Black, Miss Lovegood"

"Tom" Bella nodded "Are you now willing to hand over the castle to us?

"Now why would I want to do that?"

"Because that way we can spare the bloodshed that will ensue if you don't" She looked around "While we can't let you live, we can spare your followers - they will merely spend the rest of their lives in Azkaban"

"That seems fair" Voldemort glanced around "Do any of you wish to take them up on their offer?" He asked. He waited for a response, then turned back to Bella "It would appear that they don't want to take you up on your offer, Miss Black"

"Oh well - I guess we do this the hard way" Bella sighed "I did so want to spare you the mind-bending torture we are about to inflict, but if you insist..."

"I can't help but notice that there are sixteen of us, and only two of you" Dolohov sneered "What makes you think that you can take us?"

"REDUCTO!" Nine bolts of light shot through the open doorway, knocking nine Death Eaters to the ground. A moment later, another five followed, and Voldemort and Dolohov were the only two left standing.

"I say that evens up the score" Luna said with a smile "Now - would you like to talk terms, or shall we continue this farce?"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Dolohov yelled.

"PROTEGO!" Luna stood calmly as the killing curse bounced off the shield that appeared in front of her, then turned to Bella.

"So - the theories about sympathetic magic are right"

"Seems so" Bella replied "We should do a paper on this after the war"

"Okay" They both turned back, and Luna burst out laughing. Dolohov was staring at her, mouth wide open in surprise "Oh close your mouth Antonin - you look like a fool"

"How... how did you..."

"REDUCTO!" Dolohov's head exploded in a shower of blood. She turned to Luna "Sorry, but he was bugging the crap out of me"

"I understand" Luna turned to Voldemort "Tom - you're time is up. We are taking back Hogwarts. We are taking back The Ministry. And we are taking back our country"

"Big words" Voldemort sneered "But lets see if you are so brave when I crush your head like a melon!" He raised his wand "REDUCTO!" Luna dove off to her left, then sent back a stunning spell, causing Voldemort to duck.

"Darkling!" Bella shouted out, and the nine other Luna's ran in to the room. Voldemort stared at them, then turned to Bella.

"What is this? You think you can fulfil the prophecy with polyjuice?"

"No, Tom" Bella shook her head with a smile "Not polyjuice. This is something much more powerful. PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Voldemort fell to the ground "See, Tom - these are not nine people pretending to be Luna. These are nine other Luna's, from parallel worlds. They came here to help us get rid of you"

"I am immortal..."

"See - I don't think you are" She nodded to the other Luna's, and they spread out to form a circle round the prone Dark Lord "I think that you have enough power to survive a killing curse. And most other curses. So you give the impression of being immortal and invincible"

"I am..."

"Yes, yes. We heard you already" Bella continued "But, while you can survive one killing curse, I wonder if you can survive ten" She looked at the circle "From the same wand, at the same time" Voldemort looked around "I see you understand your plight now. Do you have any last words, my Lord, before you die?"

"Time is but a door, death is but a..."

"I should warn you - once we kill you, we are torching your body, then throwing it in to a universe where there are only 500,000 wizards worldwide, all of whom hate you" She paused "But if it helps, Susan Bones will be going with you, because we don't like her much either"

"Bugger" Voldemort cursed "Just kill me already"

"As you wish" Bella gave a bow "Luna?"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Ten Luna's shouted the incantation. Ten green bolts flew out of ten wands and crashed in to the body of Voldemort. He twitched once, then stopped moving. Bella pulled out her wand, cast a few diagnostic spells, then smiled.

"He's dead"

"INCENDIO!" Voldemort's body burst in to flame, and half a minute later was a pile of ashes. One of the Luna's waved her wand, while another held a bag open and let the ashes float into them.

"I will take these back with me" The Luna with the bag said "I think Lavender and Dudley will appreciate the gift"

"You do that" Bella said "But now we have to find the Invasion Groups and get them to disarm the explosives" She smiled "I kind of like this school, and I would hate to see it blown up by accident"

xoxox

Half an hour later, Bella and Luna stood in front of the school, facing the rest of the group.

"Thank you all for your help" Luna said, her voice echoing across the grounds "We have done a great thing today, and you will all be remembered with honour in our world" She paused as everyone cheered "And now, we can send you back"

"What about The Ministry?" Someone called out.

"We can take care of them" Bella replied "They are merely politicians"

"What if we want to stay?" Someone else asked.

"Anyone who wishes to stay can, but this is your last chance" Luna said "We won't be able to open the portal again - not for another hundred years or so" She looked around "We are re-opening the portals in half an hour. You have until then to chose"

xoxox

"So - who do you think will stay?" Bella sat with Luna, Katie, Colin and Tonks.

"I am guessing all of those who came with Fleur" Katie replied "They won't want to return to a world run by The Knights"

"I think Orla and Morag might go back" Luna said "They seemed very happy with their lives, and only came because they felt it was their duty"

"What about Thomas?" Colin asked "He would be treated as a hero in this world, but if he goes back..."

"No - he is returning" Tonks said. They all turned to stare at her "He feels that leaving his world in the hands of Albus and Harry would be a crimes against humanity" They all thought about this for a moment.

"Seems odd to have a Tom Riddle worrying about a crime against humanity, but then again..." Luna smirked, then looked at her watch "Time's up"

xoxox

"Universum omnia retornare ascartum ad ixium, et scribum numerus deletium" Nine glowing portals appeared, and Luna turned to the waiting groups "Each of you has a number on the back of your hand" She gestured to the portals "And as you can see, each portal has a number above it" She smirked "You can probably figure out the rest" She glanced at Bella.

"We can only hold the portals open for five minutes, so if you are going, you should go now" She paused "It is unlikely we will ever be able to open them up again, so this is a one time only offer"

"Yes m'am!" Everyone saluted, causing Bella to smile. Then she, and the other members of The Resistance watched as, one by one, the people vanished in to the portals. Less than five minutes later, only sixteen people remained on the grounds of Hogwarts.

"Well - I guess it is time to go to London" Luna said "Do you think they'll be expecting us?"


	14. Ten Years Later

"It turns out, they were expecting us. Fudge had heard about the fall of Hogwarts, and realised that we would be coming for him next. So he locked down The Ministry and called in every Auror and Angel he could find.

Not that it made much difference. Bella and I, aided by Albus and Harry, ripped through the wards as if they weren't there. And, as most of The Resistance had spent three years in universes where their day to day survival was a battle, fighting Aurors and Angels was no longer an issue. I have heard the phrase 'the streets ran red with blood' a few times in my life but I never actually thought I would live to see it happen.

The Aurors fell within ten minutes. The Angels took a little longer to deal with, but not that much longer. The only one we really had difficulty with was Cho, but that was mostly because there was a lot of discussion about who should get to kill her, and how fast she should die. In the end, we let Katie deal with her. After all - it was Cho that killed Cedric and Sophie.

We didn't exactly find out what Katie decided to do, but when she returned, she had a very big smile on her face, and quite a lot of blood on her shirt.

After we had dealt with The Angels, Bella and I made our way through to Fudge's office. Our original intention was to capture him, put him on trial and then throw him in Azkaban for the rest of his natural life. But, sadly, by the time we broke down his door, he had taken his own life. We torched his body, just in case, but finding his headless corpse pretty much brought and end to the war.

Two weeks after we liberated Hogwarts and freed The Ministry, Bella named herself interim Minister, and started sorting out a new government. Two months after that, she stood down as Hermione Granger was elected by almost unanimous consent. She still holds that position, having been re-elected six months ago, and is one of the most popular Ministers in history.

The Wizengamot was more or less gutted by six years of Voldemort's rule, and Albus and Harry rebuilt it from the top down, bringing in a lot more half-blood and muggle-borns in to position of power, rather than letting the pure blood supporters of Voldemort and Fudge continue to exert their influence. Commander Dumbledore, as most of the population still refer to him, refused to stand for leadership of the judicial and legislative bodies, instead turning the positions over to Harry and Colin respectively. There was some argument that having the head of the Judicial Branch married to The Minister of Magic could be a conflict of interest, but whenever Harry and Hermione asked them to explain this, the people making the objections generally changed their mind.

Katie and Colin eventually married, and they now have a four year old son named Cedric. Katie took over the infirmary at Hogwarts, and both she and Colin live in the castle.

Tonks eventually left the wizarding world. We haven't seen her since four weeks after The Liberation (as it is now called). As far as we know, she is living in seclusion with her husband.

The other members of The Resistance - excluding Morag and Orla, who did return to the universe they had been sent to - took up their old jobs again. Dumbledore is still Headmaster of Hogwarts, with Minerva as his deputy. Snape returned to teaching potions, while Ron took over Madam Hooch's job. Fred and Alicia married, and started up the joke shop in memory of George and Angelina.

After standing down as Minister, Albus and Harry prevailed on Bella to take the job of Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher. At first she objected - after spending six years of war murdering, maiming and torturing, she felt that she wasn't exactly a suitable person to teach children anything, let alone how to use combat magic. But, as Harry pointed out, there were very few people who knew more about defending against the Dark Arts than she did, and that she would be able to teach her students exactly what the curses could do. She eventually said yes, and when Hogwarts was reopened the year after, she took her place with the rest of the staff. She is now the longest serving DaDa professor in modern times, and shows no signs of leaving. I think that it might be the first time in her life she has been truly happy.

And me?

Two days after The Liberation, I set about wiping Project Darkling from the face of the earth. I spent the month after The Liberation gathering up all the notes, formulas, documents and the like related to Project Darkling, and then burning them. And after I burned them, I set fire to the ashes as well, just to be on the safe side.

My main reason for doing this was to prevent people from straying in to Lavender's universe - the possibility of anyone bringing back Voldemort's plague was too much to risk - but the other reason was I wanted to make sure that Ginny and Draco were stuck in the life they had chosen for themselves.

Call me petty, but I have never been able to get over what they did. Of the eighteen people we sent away, only five didn't return. And of those five, one was dead, and another two would have wiped out the wizarding population if they had returned. Only Ginny and Draco chose to put their own lives above those of our world, and that is something I consider unforgivable.

So, by destroying Project Darkling, I ensured that no one could go and rescue Ginny and Draco from their world. And since their Luna was pretty much in agreement with me, I was sure that she would do nothing to aid them either. The fact that she told them that her remaining family was tortured to death, and that The Resistance was wiped out was just an added bonus.

Since then I have mostly been working for Hermione in The Ministry. When she took over, she made few major changes, but the largest was to create a new research and development department, to investigate new ways of using magic, and combining it with muggle technology. And she decided that, after all my experience running Darkling, I should be in charge of what she called the TechnoMancy division.

I have had a lot of fun with it, and while some of the things I have created have been utterly useless (one day I got bored, and created a fully functional chocolate teapot), some of the my other inventions have revolutionised the magical world. So, in my own way, I have made life better for those I serve. Which, along with my wife and two daughters, is all I ever wanted"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer
> 
> I am not JK Rowling (just in case you thought I was, because I know it can be confusing sometimes), and I don't own any of these characters. I am not doing this for money, just for fun.
> 
> Notes :-
> 
> I realise that I have left a lot open in this story - who is Luna's new wife? What is the prophecy in Luna's world, since it seems not to involve Harry at all? What happened to Mad-Eye, Remus and Cedric? What did Katie do to Cho, and who was Sophie? (Although that last one should be easy to work out!). But the reason for leaving it open is that there are three years worth of stories still to tell, and I didn't want to tell them all here in one go, because that wouldn't be any fun.
> 
> I was also going to put in a scene about Luna getting her revenge on Ginny and Draco, but I wanted the story to end on a happy note, and having Luna cross universes just to get revenge would have spoiled it a little, don't you think?
> 
> I can't really promise that I will write the missing stories of this series - what happened to the various groups in the missing three years - partly because I am not sure I have any desire to do it (especially now a whole eight years after I originally wrote this), but also because I don't know if there are stories there to be written. But, here and now, I will say that if anyone else wants to write them, feel free to do so, as long as you give me the credit for the idea behind it :)
> 
> Finally - thank you to everyone who has left reviews. They have made this more interesting and fun to write :)


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